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Definition of dispatchnext
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dispatch

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dispatch distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of dispatch are assassinate, execute, kill, murder, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

When might assassinate be a better fit than dispatch?

While the synonyms assassinate and dispatch are close in meaning, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When could execute be used to replace dispatch?

The synonyms execute and dispatch are sometimes interchangeable, but execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Where would kill be a reasonable alternative to dispatch?

In some situations, the words kill and dispatch are roughly equivalent. However, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

When is it sensible to use murder instead of dispatch?

The words murder and dispatch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When is slay a more appropriate choice than dispatch?

The meanings of slay and dispatch largely overlap; however, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

How is the word dispatch distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of dispatch are assassinate, execute, kill, murder, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

When might assassinate be a better fit than dispatch?

While the synonyms assassinate and dispatch are close in meaning, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When could execute be used to replace dispatch?

The synonyms execute and dispatch are sometimes interchangeable, but execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Where would kill be a reasonable alternative to dispatch?

In some situations, the words kill and dispatch are roughly equivalent. However, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

When is it sensible to use murder instead of dispatch?

The words murder and dispatch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When is slay a more appropriate choice than dispatch?

The meanings of slay and dispatch largely overlap; however, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dispatch
Verb
There were similar incidents in 2023, including one in which police had to be dispatched downtown to break up a group of about 150. Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026 The cease-and-desist letter came after a report from The Washington Post over the weekend that Patel had dispatched agents to review and redact the files in a potential move to ready them for a public release. Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
An anonymous dispatch from Iran. Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026 Xiong’an New Area, a flagship development launched in 2017 to absorb non-capital functions from Beijing and knit together the Beijing‑Tianjin‑Hebei region, has entered a new phase of build‑out and operations, according to recent dispatches from Chinese state media. Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dispatch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispatch
Verb
  • The crew members then began preparing for the burn that will send them around the moon.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Shailin sent satellite images of the road and its surroundings to her family members inside Iran.
    Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Authorities allege her husband, 40-year-old Stephen Bowen, killed her with a shotgun.
    Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
  • They get captured by Hungarian gangsters and have to fight (and kill) their way out of an inn run by a shady former dance prodigy (Uma Thurman).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • And Israel had been conducting a campaign to assassinate Iranian scientists, which made the prospect of lethal reprisal highly plausible.
    David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Tyler, Andrea’s making the point that on the surface there are talks happening but there are no real direct negotiations at those highest levels, in part because so many people have been assassinated.
    NBC news, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • In his March Madness brackets, Obama has the Arizona Wildcats men defeating the Duke Blue Devils (who have already been upset) and UConn's women's team winning it all.
    Jay Stahl, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
  • The Wolverines defeated the Mustangs in state semis last year and in 2021 and 2025 and won state title games against Grapevine in 2018 and 2022.
    Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • After the monthslong delay, attorneys sent the government a letter in February and prompted them to allow the father to receive appointments for a fingerprinting background check, a home visit and a DNA test.
    ABC News, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Each side features shoutouts to Kansas City’s professional soccer teams of the past and present, and love letters to his family, like a heart drawn by his niece.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • If messages pile up, pause notifications for at least an hour — do your best to spend that hour focused on whatever task is most troubling you.
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Lopez did not respond to multiple messages from The Star for this voter guide.
    Nathan Pilling March 31, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Later, a fire at Hall’s grandmother’s house would destroy most of his magic act.
    Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
  • This time around, in that first wave of strikes on February 28, American cruise missiles targeted and destroyed a building that ended up being a girls’ school—killing more than 168 young children who had just started their day of classes.
    Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • And in Ashley and Marsha's texts about murdering Harold, there was a reference to Ty.
    Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Police arrested Bowen, 40, on Wednesday, charged with murdering his wife in their Coral Springs home and tampering with evidence.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Dispatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispatch. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

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